At Lane Tech, Students See Safety In Diversity

April 22, 1999|By Cindy Richards, Tribune Staff Writer.

While most of the national attention in recent years has been on violence in big urban schools-- much of it gang-related--students at one of Chicago's biggest and most diverse high schools said an incident such as the Littleton, Colo., shooting might actually be less likely to occur there than at a suburban school.

At least there might be less of a sense that one group could feel such extreme isolation as the gunmen in the Colorado shootings reportedly felt in a more affluent and homogeneous suburban high school, they said.

The sheer size and diversity of Lane Tech--its student population of 4,200 students is about one-third Hispanic, 30 percent white, 18 percent Asian and 17 percent African-American-- means that there is a group to suit everyone's needs, said senior Russell Marzullo, 17.

"With 1,000 in the senior class, even the kids who are the outcasts have their own clique," he said.

Marzullo rolled his eyes at the adult angst stirred up by the shooting.

"Everyone wants to find a deeper meaning in this. These guys were just mentally unbalanced. Sometimes, that's all there is," he said.

Students weren't shocked that the Littleton gunmen took out their wrath on their school and classmates. "That's our environment," said Jason Waite, 18, a senior. "When postal workers go mad, they shoot other postal workers because that's their environment."

Some teachers devoted class time Wednesday morning to discussing the Littleton shooting. "Teachers are asking how it can be prevented. There is no way to avoid it," said senior Danielle Clatch, 17.

Administrators at Lane Tech agreed that it would be impossible to end all risk of tragedy in the massive school at Western Avenue and Addison Street. But they are doing what they can, said Principal David Schlichting.

"We have a handle on the disenfranchised kids," he said, and teachers are encouraged to pay attention and take action if a student appears depressed.